CHAMPCAR/CART: Champ Cars to light up the night in Cleveland

INDIANAPOLIS (January 16, 2003) - The city of Cleveland has seen more
than its share of innovations over the years. It was in Cleveland
where Alan Freed first coined the term 'Rock and Roll', an act that
led many years later to the establishment...

INDIANAPOLIS (January 16, 2003) - The city of Cleveland has seen more
than its share of innovations over the years. It was in Cleveland
where Alan Freed first coined the term 'Rock and Roll', an act that
led many years later to the establishment of the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. It was also in Cleveland in 1967 where voters elected the first
African-American mayor of a major American city. Those innovations
continued in 1982 when CART built the first temporary racing circuit
on its calendar, turning its Burke Lakefront Airport into a 2.106-mile
corral where 200-mph racing machines could stretch their legs.

Patrick Carpentier.

Photo by Ford Motor Company.

The only circuit of its kind in the United States, the Burke Lakefront
Airport track will make history again when the Bridgestone Presents The
Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford makes its 22nd appearance on the
North Coast - with a night race under the lights.

"Cleveland is making history," said IMG Motorsports President Bud
Stanner. "Our announcement is the first of its kind in the world in both
magnitude and scope. This truly puts Cleveland at the head of the pack
and will add tremendous excitement for our sponsors and race fans."

The July 3-5 weekend featuring the US Bank Presents the Cleveland Grand
Prix Champ Car World Series, has been a fixture on the CART calendar
since 1982 when local hero Bobby Rahal won the inaugural event. The race
is guaranteed to be a fixture for even longer with today's announcement,
which includes a five-year extension for the popular race.

"Cleveland Champ Car fans will be thrilled to know that the city has
renewed its lease with CART and IMG for five more years," said Cleveland
Mayor Jane L. Campbell. "This year's innovative night race will certainly
increase the success of this event and we anticipate it bringing even
more fans to Cleveland for a weekend of excitement."

The race that is known as The Roar by The Shore gets the 'at night'
designation added to it this year, a fact that excites defending race
champion Patrick Carpentier of Player's/Forsythe Racing as he considers
the possibility of careening through the maze of airport runways under
electric light.

"I'm really excited about the move to a night race," Carpentier said.
"I've never raced at night in my CART career or in any other racing, but
I go see other forms of racing such as the World of Outlaws and it's a
really great show. The track is so wide open that it should be even
better for us at night and will definitely add more excitement to it. I'm
sure it will be every bit as exciting for the fans as it will be for the
drivers."

The July 5 event will be run under the lights as world-renowned Musco
Lighting will turn the airport runways into what will be the world's
largest outdoor lighting project. Musco, which has lent its temporary and
permanent lighting facilities to events ranging from The Olympic Games to
rock concerts, will erect 22 lighting towers to illuminate the racing
circuit. By way of comparison, Musco states that a typical college
football game requires four towers, Ground Zero in New York required five
towers, and the Battle of Big Horn outdoor golf match required eight
towers.

"This is by far the largest mobile lighting challenge we've ever taken
on," said Musco President Joe Crookham. "These twenty-two trucks,
generators and lighting systems will create as much light as nearly a
half-million car headlights."

Cristiano da Matta in the lead under yellow.

Photo by Michael Kim.

The night race will give fans a new view of what is already one of the
most unique spectator venues in all of motorsports. The Cleveland layout
is the only two-mile circuit in the United States where fans can see the
entire track from their bleacher seats. The event has become the
centerpiece of the July 4 weekend in Cleveland and annually draws over
100,000 fans to the track over the three days of competition.

"We wanted to do something to stimulate even more interest in what has
always been a very successful event in Cleveland," said CART President
and CEO Christopher R. Pook. "The spectacular lighting of the track will
spark interest from not only all the great Champ Car fans of Cleveland,
but also every person that passes by the track on the highway for the
days leading up to the event."

Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (NYSE: MPH) owns, operates and
markets the 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered
by Ford. 2002 CART champion Cristiano da Matta led a list of open-wheel
stars this past season competing with teams such as Newman/Haas Racing,
Player's/Forsythe Racing, Team Rahal, Fernandez Racing, Patrick Racing,
Herdez Competition, Walker Racing and others. CART Champ Cars are
thoroughbred racing machines that reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per
hour, showcasing the technical expertise of manufacturers such as Ford
Motor Company, Lola Cars, Reynard Motorsport and Bridgestone/Firestone
North American Tire, LLC. The 19-race 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ
Car World Series Powered by Ford will be broadcast by television partners
CBS, FOX and SPEED Channel. CART also owns and operates its top
development series, the Toyota Atlantic Championship. Learn more about
CART's open-wheel racing series at www.cart.com.